Unexpected
by Fruipit
Summary: Toph's always been unpredictable, but even Katara couldn't have foreseen this...


Opening the door quietly, Katara snuck into her apartment slowly, trying not to wake Toph. The girl had been studying incessantly for the past three weeks, and now that her final test had finished that afternoon, she was probably catching up on some well-deserved sleep. It wasn't _that_ late, but after her own exams had finished, Katara had spent a good 24 hours just relaxing in bed.

"Mmmm."

Padding silently past Toph's bedroom, Katara was jolted from her thoughts at the sound coming from behind the closed door. She paused outside the painted wood, holding her breath.

"Ugh, oh _spirits_..."

Katara's hand flew to her mouth in surprise, and her eyes widened in shock. It wasn't as though they had housemate rules against this kind of thing, only that Toph had never brought anyone home before. As far as Katara was aware, the blind girl didn't have many friends, and definitely didn't have a boyfriend.

_Oh, but she had mentioned something a while ago..._

"_Toph_!" The name, moaned sultry and low, was enough for Katara, who wrenched herself away from the door. Dumping her stuff on the couch, she went to the kitchen to make some tea. She wouldn't be able to sleep knowing _that_ was going on next door. As stupid as it sounded, she had always imagined (in as little detail as possible) that Toph was a virgin; she had never shown any interest in boys or dating. When Katara had suggested to Toph that she take some time to herself to relax after finals, this _wasn't_ what the brunette had in mind.

Lowering herself to the couch, a cup of warm jasmine tea resting between her hands, Katara was thankful that she couldn't hear anything. She had just started her fourth cup of tea when the door opened, and a bare-chested, red-faced woman slipped from the room.

"Ahh!" Katara cried, shielding her eyes. She spilt her tea everywhere, but by then it was lukewarm and bitter.

"Oh, grow up. We all have the same parts," she said, and Katara glanced up to find a tall, auburn-haired woman who most definitely wasn't Toph. "Toph! Roommate's home!" the woman called to the bedroom, slinging a shirt on from a bag Katara hadn't noticed earlier.

Several seconds passed, before a loud, "Fuck!" was heard from the room. Toph herself appeared only a few moments later, wearing a loose-fitting t-shirt and slacks.

"Oh, hi there, Katara," she waved half-heartedly out into the living-room, unable to tell where Katara was without her speaking. She had foregone her cane, and instead stumbled down the hallway with one hand on the wall to guide her. If Katara didn't know better, she'd swear that Toph was deliberately avoiding looking towards the centre of the room. She seemed to be making sure her embarrassed expression never stayed still for long.

"Uh, this is, ahem, Kyoshi. My... friend..." she finished, rather lamely. Kyoshi snorted loudly.

"Oh, that's what we're calling it?"

She didn't seem upset at all, instead grinning rather amusedly. Toph bit the inside of her cheek, and Kyoshi continued.

"You weren't this shy when your tongue was running up my-"

Dual splutters cut Kyoshi off, and Toph, red-faced and absolutely mortified, turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could to her room, slamming the door shut. They heard a muffled scream before Kyoshi turned to Katara.

"I'm not dealing with that. I think she's awesome, but the sex is emotional enough for me. Also, this is your fault."

A cry of indignation left the brown-haired girl, at both the accusation and unfortunate mental image, but Kyoshi interrupted before she could say anything.

"We've been seeing each other for over two months, and there's a reason you didn't know about me," she explained, more reasonably than Katara would have given her credit for. "So, I'm not dealing with this." With that declaration, Kyoshi went into the kitchen, and Katara heard the kettle heat up.

_My fault?_

Once again padding silently down the hall, Katara gave a gentle knock on the door before just pushing it open. It was a lot harder to ignore the musky smell or the absolute disarray of the room than she expected, and she gingerly sat on the edge of the bed. Toph was lying on her stomach, face pressed deep into a pillow.

"Hey, Toph..." Katara began, unsure how to continue. She couldn't say she had ever expected this. She had hoped more to be able to actually talk to Toph about boys and stuff like that, when the twenty-two year old actually began to show an interest them.

"... ggg wrr..."

"Sorry, Toph?"

The blind girl turned her head so she could speak, although she made sure she didn't face Katara. "Go away."

Katara frowned unhappily. She had never seen anything upset Toph like this, and the guilt that perhaps it _was_ her fault gnawed at her stomach.

"Toph, why didn't you tell me? Was it something I did?"

The undeniable way that Katara's voice shook, the need to be forgiven for a slight she had convinced herself she had made, gave Toph the push she needed to turn her blind gaze on her friend.

"It wasn't you, Kat. I just... wanted to wait..." she mumbled. "I didn't know how you would react..."

"Toph, I don't care. You're happy. I mean... I can't say I wasn't a little surprised..." she admitted to the younger girl, "but it doesn't matter. The only thing I'm upset about is that you didn't tell me!" she cried good-naturedly, and Toph let out a reluctant smile as she rolled over and sat up.

"Yeah, well... remember how upset you got when Mai and Ty Lee got together? ... Oh, God, can you imagine Sokka's reaction?" she asked.

"I felt bad for Zuko! The first girl he dates, and she turns out to be a lesbian. I think my brother would be happy for you..." Toph let out a small smile at the idea, and Katara cleared her throat. "So... you're into chicks?" Katara asked. Toph squirmed uncomfortably.

"Well, I guess..." she shrugged, not at all sounding like the confident girl who always knew what she wanted. "Can't I just say I like Kyoshi and leave it at that? We... match..." Katara nodded, accepting the light punch Toph threw her way. "Thanks, Dude."

Katara pulled Toph into a tight hug. She felt her stiffen slightly at the contact, before relaxing and patting Katara somewhat awkwardly on the head.

"Oh," the brown-haired girl said, releasing Toph, "you know how I would tell you about the things Aang did, and you'd get disgusted and then laugh?" Toph nodded, and she could _hear_ the pained expression in Katara's voice as her friend pleaded with her. "_Please_ don't tell me what you do. This is still a lot to take in."

Toph nodded thoughtfully. "So, does that mean I can't tell you how good her fingers are?" she said innocently, although all pretence was lost as she grinned evilly at Katara's outcry.

"Toph! No!"

"... They're really long... "

Katara slammed the palms of her hands over her ears, but it didn't quite drown out Toph's parting remark as she practically sprinted from the room, "What about her tongue?! It's absolute heaven, especially when she's been eating something spicy!"

Katara could hear her laughing from the lounge-room. Kyoshi was sitting on the couch, thankfully wearing a pair of track-pants and sipping on a cup of chamomile.

"Happy now?" Katara asked. "Now I'm scarred."

Kyoshi shrugged flippantly. "Yeah yeah. Hey, do you know where we can find a pair of handcuffs? Toph's a little feisty."

_Oh, yeah, a match made in heaven_, she groaned internally, trying desperately to keep the mental image from springing to her mind, before giving up and running to her room. She could hear Toph and Kyoshi cackling, but despite the eventful evening, Katara couldn't keep the smile from her face. The next few months were going to be fun. She could already feel it.


End file.
